As a used bookstore, our shop is founded on a circular system of books endlessly reused and resold. For us, a used book not only contains a story, but its patina glows with the character and notes of readers who came before. However, this sentimental value is not reflected in our prices.
As publishers are now charging $30+ for new hardcover books, the average cost of a used hardcover at City Books is $10, while a used paperback is $8. Our economical pricing allows for steady turnover of store inventory so customers always find something new (to them) on our shelves. We have built sustainability into our business model.
Last summer, in keeping with our core value of environmental justice (and being the change we want to see in the world), City Books began to shift entirely to sustainable packaging. We expect that transition to be complete by early spring 2024 as we use up padded mailers purchased elsewhere in bulk in early 2023. We now source all our shopping bags, literature mailers, and packing tape from EcoEnclose, a family-owned and operated supplier that hopes to be an ecologically net positive company by 2030.
In January 2024, EcoEnclose gave customers the opportunity to calculate a personalized Eco-Report. Not only are we surprised by the environmental savings City Books was able to affect in only five months, the collective impact that EcoEnclose customers made is nothing short of astounding. We hope this is the first of many annual reports on City Books performance as responsible corporate citizens.
Below, readers will find the City Books Eco-Savings Report, a definition of terms used in the report, and the overall EcoEnclose Eco-Savings report. Please feel free to contact us at citybookspgh@gmail.com with questions or comments.
